If you're wondering when to plant hydrangeas, the shrubs can go in the ground at any time of year, except when the weather is very cold or very hot or if the soil is waterlogged.
Aim for late spring, well after any danger of frost has passed, or early fall, when night temperatures usher in cooler air. If you garden in a region where the ground freezes, get plants into the ground at least six weeks prior to fall's first killing frost.
Fall is the best season to plant hydrangeas, followed by early spring. The idea is to give the shrub plenty of time to establish a healthy root system before blooming. The best time of day to plant is early morning or late afternoon.
Hydrangeas purchased from a garden center have been growing outdoors in a pot. They can be planted at any time of the year. However, to get good results, keep these considerations in mind: Whenever possible, plant in early summer or fall.
Hydrangeas that bloom on new wood can be safely pruned in late fall once the plants have gone dormant or in early spring. Next year's flower buds won't be formed until late spring the same year they bloom, so there is no risk of removing the buds if you prune in fall or spring.
To prepare hydrangeas for winter in colder areas, add a thick layer of mulch around the base of the plants to protect the crown and roots from freezing temperatures.
Prune fall blooming hydrangeas, or old wood bloomers, after they bloom in the summer. If you prune old wooded hydrangeas in fall, you are cutting off next seasons blooms. Summer blooming hydrangeas, or those that bloom on new wood, are pruned in the fall, after they stop blooming.
*We don't recommend oakleaf hydrangeas because they don't often look their best when grown in a container. They flourish when planted in the ground. But if you enjoy the look, go for it!
5. Bring potted hydrangeas inside. Potted hydrangeas overwinter best in a garage or basement where the temperature stays cool but doesn't freeze. The plants will go dormant, but you'll still need to water the pots occasionally, about once a month, to keep the roots moist, until spring.
Miracle-Gro Performance Organics Blooms Nutrition
This is an all-purpose blossom booster that's suitable for use on a wide variety of perennial and annual blooming plants, including hydrangeas. It provides various minerals, including copper, calcium, and iron, to supplement common nutrient deficiencies.
In Ground: Hydrangea are easy to grow in most any moist but well-drained soil of average fertility.
However, stop deadheading hydrangea shrubs in mid to late fall, leaving any spent blooms in place. This not only provides winter interest, but also ensures you don't remove the buds that will become flowers next spring.
While some plants bloom on new growth, others primarily set flower buds on old wood. Regardless, it is best to wait to prune all hydrangeas until spring. In the fall, hydrangeas (and all trees and shrubs) are in the process of going dormant. They do not produce very much new growth until the following spring.
Most common hydrangeas prefer a partial sun location - ideally receiving sun in the morning hours and shade in the afternoon. The reblooming Endless Summer® Hydrangea series prefers part shade.
"Stop deadheading in the fall, when bigleaf hydrangeas produce their last flush of flowers, to enjoy the dried blooms throughout the winter," she says. "These can be removed to help produce healthy buds in the spring."
Keep Them Cozy. Whether or not hydrangeas need protection depends on how cold the winter temperatures drop. If the air temperature doesn't go below 0 degrees (zone 7) there is no need for winter protection. In colder climates, wrap or completely cover marginally hardy hydrangeas.
If you purchase the annuals small and make your own pots in early Spring, you can save money but you still are left with dead plants at the end of the season. Hydrangea plants are considered a perennial which will grow back year after year if care for properly.
If you're growing hydrangeas, use coffee grounds to affect their color. Coffee grounds add extra acidity to the soil around hydrangeas. On a chemical level, this increased acidity makes it easier for the plant to absorb naturally occurring aluminum in the dirt. The effect is pretty blue clusters of flowers.
Some gardeners report success in turning their hydrangeas blue by applying coffee grounds to the soil. The coffee grounds make the soil more acidic, allowing the hydrangea to more easily absorb aluminum. In addition, fruit peels, lawn clippings, peat moss and pine needles, are thought to have a similar effect.
There are fertilizers that can help you on that quest, but other household ingredients can prove just as effective–and come with a lower cost. Enter, your leftover coffee grounds. Here's everything you need to know about how to produce the bluest hydrangea blooms while putting those spent coffee grounds to good use.
If you don't prune hydrangeas then they can eventually resemble a tangled mass of woody stems, and the flowers will become smaller and less showy.
Some hydrangeas' branches often fall over under the weight of their blooms, especially after overhead irrigation or after a good rain. One way to alleviate this flopping is to cut the stems to a height of 18 to 24 inches to provide a sturdy framework to support new growth.